The Forbidden Kingdom (B- or 3/4 stars)
14 yr. old Jason (Michael Angarano) - who is obsessed with kung-fu cinema - makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop in ‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ (a fantasy film directed by Rob Minkoff. What the teenager discovers is the legendary Bo-Staff of a Chinese warrior, the Monkey King (Jet Li). With the lost antiquity in hand, Jason unexpectedly finds himself hurled back to feudal China to join a band of martial arts warriors on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King. Though this fantasy flick borrows plot points from no less than 5 classic movies, 'The Forbidden Kingdom' provides stellar escapist entertainment.
Jason's favorite past time is buying martial arts DVDs. One night, some school thugs bully him into forcing an elderly shop owner to let them in. A struggle commences, the owner is shot and, in self defense, Jason grabs the aforementioned Bo-Staff which transports him to 15th c. China. Chaos starts immediately since the Bo-Staff belongs to the Monkey King; a whimsical warrior who needs it back to defeat the evil Jade warlord (Collin Chou) & his minions. Jason gets help from a drunk, immortal kung-fu master, Lu Yan (Jackie Chan); a mysterious 'monk' (Jet Li); and Golden Sparrow (Crystal Liu Yi Fei), a kung-fu beauty, hell bent on avenging her dead family. Golden Sparrow is an intriguing character who only refers to herself in 3rd person.
Upon meeting the monk, the protagonists initially think he's another villain, desperate to claim the Bo-Staff for himself. Once they find out that they're fighting for the same cause (return the staff to its owner, subsequently ending a 500 yr. curse put upon the Monkey King), the quest takes full shape. While attempting to survive onslaughts of Jade warriors and a silver-haired demon (Li Bing Bing), Jason is also able to learn a lot about himself. Yes, he learns some kick-ass kung-fu. But in China, he's coming-of-age by receiving life lessons in strength, respect, honor & friendship. Those attributes could serve him well in 21st c. America if' he's able to get back there in one piece. Everything culminates in a stirring climax atop Five Elements Mountain.
The look of this film is similar to Lord of the Rings, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (same cinematographer, Peter Pau), Hero & House of Flying Daggers. A child apprentice learning kung-fu is reminiscent of Karate Kid. A young man thrust into a wondrous story, only to return and take revenge against school bullies reminds us of The Neverending Story. And a child who falls through the air, lands far from America, experiences an adventure, has to say goodbye to newly acquired friends, and then sees them as different people back in America is straight out of Wizard of Oz. 'The Forbidden Kingdom' is a conglomeration of these films, but it finds its' own magic & authenticity.
Now, the plot is a tad juvenile. It doesn't take itself too seriously (which helps & hurts). The acting & dialogue are only okay. And I wish some scenes were more fleshed out (I wanted to see the monk & Golden Sparrow storm the palace in the battle royale). But I was all caught up with the intangibles of this movie. Several scenes had me laughing out loud. i.e., Lu Yan attempting to summon rain in the Desert. Seeing Jet Li & Jackie Chan onscreen together for the 1st time is a great thing. I'm not the biggest fan of kung-fu, but the martial arts sequences looked pretty good to my uneducated eyes.
I have to disagree with my good friend & critic, Kevin Lawlor on one issue. While I don't think he's boy-wonder or anything, I certainly didn't find Michael Angarano 'hateful', at all. On the contrary, and similarly to the child actor in The Neverending Story, he brought a real normalcy to the character. He IS what he needed to be. Nothing about the physical or emotional embodiment of Jason annoyed me in the slightest; I was rooting for him all the way. Also impressive are the special effects, ancient sets, detailed costumes, make-up design, musical score & cinematography. For me, the people who created 'The Forbidden Kingdom' just hit the right tone & atmosphere.
Jason's favorite past time is buying martial arts DVDs. One night, some school thugs bully him into forcing an elderly shop owner to let them in. A struggle commences, the owner is shot and, in self defense, Jason grabs the aforementioned Bo-Staff which transports him to 15th c. China. Chaos starts immediately since the Bo-Staff belongs to the Monkey King; a whimsical warrior who needs it back to defeat the evil Jade warlord (Collin Chou) & his minions. Jason gets help from a drunk, immortal kung-fu master, Lu Yan (Jackie Chan); a mysterious 'monk' (Jet Li); and Golden Sparrow (Crystal Liu Yi Fei), a kung-fu beauty, hell bent on avenging her dead family. Golden Sparrow is an intriguing character who only refers to herself in 3rd person.
Upon meeting the monk, the protagonists initially think he's another villain, desperate to claim the Bo-Staff for himself. Once they find out that they're fighting for the same cause (return the staff to its owner, subsequently ending a 500 yr. curse put upon the Monkey King), the quest takes full shape. While attempting to survive onslaughts of Jade warriors and a silver-haired demon (Li Bing Bing), Jason is also able to learn a lot about himself. Yes, he learns some kick-ass kung-fu. But in China, he's coming-of-age by receiving life lessons in strength, respect, honor & friendship. Those attributes could serve him well in 21st c. America if' he's able to get back there in one piece. Everything culminates in a stirring climax atop Five Elements Mountain.
The look of this film is similar to Lord of the Rings, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (same cinematographer, Peter Pau), Hero & House of Flying Daggers. A child apprentice learning kung-fu is reminiscent of Karate Kid. A young man thrust into a wondrous story, only to return and take revenge against school bullies reminds us of The Neverending Story. And a child who falls through the air, lands far from America, experiences an adventure, has to say goodbye to newly acquired friends, and then sees them as different people back in America is straight out of Wizard of Oz. 'The Forbidden Kingdom' is a conglomeration of these films, but it finds its' own magic & authenticity.
Now, the plot is a tad juvenile. It doesn't take itself too seriously (which helps & hurts). The acting & dialogue are only okay. And I wish some scenes were more fleshed out (I wanted to see the monk & Golden Sparrow storm the palace in the battle royale). But I was all caught up with the intangibles of this movie. Several scenes had me laughing out loud. i.e., Lu Yan attempting to summon rain in the Desert. Seeing Jet Li & Jackie Chan onscreen together for the 1st time is a great thing. I'm not the biggest fan of kung-fu, but the martial arts sequences looked pretty good to my uneducated eyes.
I have to disagree with my good friend & critic, Kevin Lawlor on one issue. While I don't think he's boy-wonder or anything, I certainly didn't find Michael Angarano 'hateful', at all. On the contrary, and similarly to the child actor in The Neverending Story, he brought a real normalcy to the character. He IS what he needed to be. Nothing about the physical or emotional embodiment of Jason annoyed me in the slightest; I was rooting for him all the way. Also impressive are the special effects, ancient sets, detailed costumes, make-up design, musical score & cinematography. For me, the people who created 'The Forbidden Kingdom' just hit the right tone & atmosphere.